Void
by Kubu
Summary: *CANCELLED*
1. Lament

Olimar didn't know what to make of his life. As a Smasher, he was allowed to make a home of the perfect Smash Mansion. In return for his fighting skill, he had all his worries swamped under pure luxury.

Here in the mansion everything he didn't want to do was done for him. His room was cleaned whenever he wasn't in it, his meals were cooked to the highest standards, the hallways were kept sparkling clean and he always got what he asked for.

But for some reason, Master Hand forbade anyone to leave the grounds. Everything they wanted, the hand reasoned, was right here in the mansion, so why would it be a problem?

And it was true that they were allowed to use the internet to contact the outside world, but that wasn't any good for Olimar. He wanted to escape, see his wife and children for the first time in five and a half years.

Olimar's family must be wondering where he was. First he was left stranded on a distant planet, then he was ordered to hunt for treasure on his company's behalf, and _then_, when he thought it would all be over, he was drafted into this "Smash Brothers" thing. He was pulled back in time to entertain the species that made the treasures he discovered; stuck in an era where his family didn't even exist.

Olimar looked around his dorm. It was custom built especially for his oxygen-intolerant lungs. This was the only place in the mansion where he could take off his spacesuit; the only place where he could do what he wanted without fearing people barging in to ask him things.

So he used this place to cry. Olimar cried for his family, who were as good as dead in this time. He cried for his friends, who didn't know whether or not he was safe. He cried for the landscapes of his memory, alien to normal people but natural and welcoming to him. He cried for the home that he never thought he'd see again.

Five years. Five excruciating, lonely years without hearing or seeing his family.

Oh, Olimar made friends here, more than he thought he ever would. But those friends couldn't erase his memories of the life he was taken away from. Tonight, he was going to seek out those memories himself; travel to the corporation who stranded him at this mansion and demand he be returned.

He was going to leave tonight. His friends knew about his family, surely they'd understand?

* * *

"I don't understand," Fox told Olimar. "Why do you want to leave us?"

"Because I miss my family," Olimar replied bluntly.

Fox and Olimar were watching Link and Mario play tennis.

"And what are we, Olimar?" Fox retorted. "Do the past five years mean nothing to you?"

Fox's outburst distracted Mario long enough to let Link get an ace, for once.

"Haha! Mario, you gotta pick up your game!" To which Mario responded with a tennis ball to the face.

"Fox, maybe we should keep our voice down," Olimar suggested. "I don't think I want the others to hear this."

"Alright, Olimar, why is that?"

"Tonight, I'm going to break out. I'm going to leap the fence and see how far away I can get."

"So you're just going to leave us without saying goodbye?"

"Ye-" Wait… what was Olimar saying? Fox was right, he had made so many friends here. Abandoning them without even saying goodbye would massively disrespect them.

"No, Fox, I couldn't. I can't just abandon you all without warning like that. I'm just going to check and see if escape is possible first."

"I… don't know whether or not that makes sense, but if you're going to come back I guess it's okay."

"Thanks for supporting me. I'll let you know what's on the other side."

"Can't wait to find out," Fox chuckled.

Olimar left the court, supposedly to prepare for the night's trek._ He's going to take one step out of bounds and run back in scared_, Fox thought.

* * *

If it were any other day, Olimar wouldn't even get this far. He liked living in the mansion, it felt safe. But his family… that was something he'd die for. Truth be told, Olimar didn't know why it took him five years to work up the courage to run away. Was it everyone else's heroism rubbing off on him? Was he just tired of his loved ones thinking he was dead? Olimar wasn't so sure. But the past is past, and the future is his goal now.

It seemed like yesterday that Olimar couldn't jump an inch. But he learned a thing or two here at the mansion; things like double-jumping over walls four times taller than he was. Olimar sailed over the barricade blocking him from the outside with ease.

When the astronaut found himself on the other side, he was surprised to hear no alarms, see no cameras and feel no breathing on his back. He escaped so easily it didn't feel scary anymore. But Olimar was only partway to his goal. He had come so far, but he feared how far he had to go. Taking sharp breaths, he carried his legs down the road.

Arms outstretched and legs gliding across the coarse path, Olimar felt free, more so than he had ever felt before. The trees surrounding him swayed in perfect time with his footsteps, moonlight glittering off the leaves. Wait… leaves don't glitter…

The glitter got larger and larger as he ran further and further. Soon the glitter got so large that it seemed to erase the world around him. Olimar's pacing slowed to a halt as the uncertainty became overwhelming. Looking back, the mansion was completely gone. Looking forward, there was naught but white where the road, and the world the road was laid upon, stopped.

Why was there white? It was supposed to be the middle of the night. Olimar approached the edge of the road. Was it a wall, or a void? There was nothing to judge with. As Olimar approached the blinding white, he reached out. Light akin to that of the sun illuminated his hand and only his hand. Nothing else was there to touch.

And then Olimar had to ask himself: why was the void here? Was it cloaking a sight that they weren't supposed to see, or were they trapped in a pocket dimension that simply ended? And what would happen if he were to enter the void?

Only one thing was certain. Olimar's family didn't exist here. They never had, or will. The only way he could ever see them was to leave this place. The void was the only place they could be.

Or it could lead to death, or an endless limbo where Olimar fell forever. But he didn't care. If there was even the slightest chance that it would lead to his family, Olimar knew he had to try it.

He put a foot out… and stopped himself. _No_, he thought, _I can't do this yet_. _It would be safer to go back and find out anything about this void I can. Just turn around... come back later, when I know what will happen._

Olimar turned around to go back to the mansion, but he turned around too fast, lost his balance and fell into the void.

As he fell, he noticed the layers of the world surpass him. As dirt gave way to stone and stone gave way to molten magma, the light gave way to darkness and his fear gave way to a strange calm.

Would he die? Maybe. Did he care? No. It felt almost like going to sleep…


	2. Beyond

Olimar didn't think he'd wake up.

Olimar _really_ didn't think he'd wake up suspended in a tank of gel, but he did. Wires and tubes penetrated his skin. His first instinct was to tear everything out and bolt, but he knew he couldn't. Not only would he suffocate in and out of the tank without them, but he felt completely drained of energy. He just didn't have the strength to break out of what was presumably a very heavily guarded holding area without the help of every other smasher.

And just where were the other smashers? It was hard to make out, but he could faintly see other machines like the one he was in, housing Smashers of various sizes. None of them seemed aware of their surroundings. They were in perfect slumber. It was almost as if they were dreaming.

But just what were the Smashers here for? Why were they being held here? Did they know what was going on? Did they care? Olimar didn't know. The closest thing he had to a plan was to wait in his prison for everyone to follow him. But that would never happen. Nobody else wanted to leave, and even if they looked for him they would never think to leap off the world itself.

So he closed his eyes and rested in the gel. It was like a full body pillow that hugged him all over. Safe… comfortable… so easy to sleep again… -

* * *

(Tabu-san, we have a situation. Patient Ori has regained consciousness)

(What? How did he wake up?)

(Surveillance records show that he fell off the edge of the world.)

(So the emergency protocols were initiated?)

(Yes, sir. He he has been woken up in this reality so he doesn't spend the rest of his life in freefall.)

(Ah, good to know my system works. Respawn him on top of his bed and make sure he goes back to sleep.)

(Already done, Tabu-san.)

* * *

Someone was pulling his leg.

Somehow, some way, someone was trying to fool Olimar. Here he was lying on his bed in the mansion. As in, not the tank filled with gel he was in when he fell asleep. He rubbed his fingers on his chin – blast, his spacesuit was in the way. Why was his spacesuit on? He always took that thing off when he got the chance; it was so unbelievably stuffy in there. No, focus on the problem at hand. Who could possibly go to such lengths to fool him?

And then it clicked! Nobody went to such lengths, because nobody COULD go to such lengths. A wall of focused light that dug down to the center of the earth? Nothing real could make a thing like that. No, the stout spaceman didn't simply hallucinate. It was real. Well, fake. It was faked, but it wasn't faked to fool him. Okay, it was faked for that purpose, but it wasn't faked by anything within the mansion. The spaceman's head throbbed with confusion. Nothing made sense here anymore.

Olimar ran into the hallways, desperate for someone to confide in. Wouldn't you know it; the first person he bumped into was the one most likely to listen.

"Fox, we need to talk in private."

"Good morning to you too, Olimar." Fox was quite used to Olimar's panicking. "You didn't get your breakfast today, so-"

"I can eat later, I have something very important and very urgent to tell you!"

"Well, sorry for thinking about you, Olimar," Fox chuckled. "I can't believe anything could be so important that you'd want to put aside breakfast for it."

* * *

"And when you fell off the void, you woke up suspended in some kind of gel tank?"

Fox and his friend were in the former's room, whispering to each other in the dark for maximum stealth. If anyone told Master Hand that they knew about this, the consequences could be severe.

_Could_ be, if Olimar wasn't spreading falsehoods.

"That's what happened in a nutshell. And when I went to sleep in _that_, I woke up in my bed."

"What… this is some serious stuff, Olimar. You promise you're not lying?"

"Fox, you know I wouldn't prank you. This is real, and it's serious!"

"Huh…" Fox wasn't nearly as desperate to leave as Olimar. He had friends on the outside, but was able to talk to them by phone, or AIM, or Skype, the usual. He didn't have a reason to leave, aside from a nagging curiosity. That nagging curiosity was enough, though. "You know, I'd like to see this world 'beyond the void.'"

"Great! Meet me by the gate at midnight?"

"Agreed." Fox and Olimar shook hands, solidifying the meeting. "Do you mind if I bring a few friends along?"

"The more people who know, the better."

* * *

(He's telling people about the real world, Tabu-san. Should we be concerned?)

(I would not be so quick to panic, Masuto-san. One thing we can be safe in knowing is that nobody else is as trustworthy as patient Ori, and he alone won't be able to get the news out quick enough.)

(Let me guess: let them have their fun?)

(Of course. Left in their tanks, they've become so malnourished and underdeveloped in the past five years that they'll never get far even if they tried.)

* * *

"So this is the void that Fox was blabbin' about?" Falco gasped in awe.

The Star Fox brawlers and Olimar stood at the very edge of the world, staring off into the blinding bright nothingness. Midnight darkness cloaked the road they travelled on, but even the veil of night could not bring itself to enter the domain of the void. And yet somehow, Olimar could.

"Olimar, are you sure it's safe to jump off?" Wolf couldn't hide the fear in his voice, but the others understood. Staring at the space where everything ceased to exist could cause a bit of an anxiety complex.

"I survived, but I should tell you a few things," Olimar warned. "You're only here to see the other side. When you get there, it'd be a good idea to stay put and sleep your way back to the mansion."

"Sleep our way?" Wolf asked.

"We're not going to stay there. I just want to show you what I saw for myself."

"And how do you know that this only works for you?" Fox enquired.

"I… I saw your bodies." Good thing Olimar looked around while he was in the other world. "You're all in tanks just like the one I'm in. I think you'll all wake up in one of those tanks. If it helps, the gel feels nice-"

"Are we jumping off or not?" Falco was getting quite impatient. "If you two aren't going to jump, I'm kinda sick of waiting." The avian turned around and started walking.

"Well, Olimar, if Falco doesn't jump, I don't jump," Fox decided.

As if on cue, Falco turned around, ran towards the edge and blindly leapt. He did not scream, he did not cheer. He just leapt, hoping for the best.

"I guess that's that question answered," Fox shrugged as he followed his Star Fox comrade.

This left Wolf and Olimar staring off into the mysterious void.

"C'mon, Wolf, you're not going to let those two outshine you," Olimar joked, knowing exactly what sort of reaction he'd get.

Wolf proved the little astronaut's suspicion right, muttering and cursing his big-headedness under his breath as he walked off the edge.

Olimar looked over the edge to see not even a speck of the anthropomorphs. Smiling in satisfaction at a secret well shared, he trekked back to the mansion, making a mental note to wait outside Fox's room.

* * *

(Three more patients have reawakened, Tabu-san.)

(Patients Foku, Faru and Woru. The Star Fox representatives.)

(I know, Tabu-san.)

(Patient Ori is getting the word out. It won't be long until they put together the pieces of the puzzle.)

(And what should we do with them when that happens, Tabu-san?)

(We'll cross that bridge when we get to it, Masuto-san, but I suspect it will be no cause for alarm. Now be sure that the patients respawn safely.)


	3. Spread

Every second Olimar spent outside Fox's room was a second of growing anxiety. Was the vulpine going to come back safe? Thoughts of that topic circled Olimar's mind for the past few hours. The sun was rising, but its brightness could not compare to that of the void. Oh dear… maybe Fox was an exception. What if he was the only one who didn't come back safe?

The first thing Fox saw when he opened the door was a tiny man staring straight at him.

"Hey, Olimar, you been there all night?"

Olimar looked up to his friend and sighed with relief. Of course he made it back, why wouldn't he?

"Come on, you want to go get breakfast?"

"Lunch, Fox," Olimar corrected.

"Really? I've been away that long? It did take me a while to figure out what you meant by 'sleeping my way back', but I didn't think…" Fox trailed off, deciding that completing the sentence was unimportant as of this moment. "I think I'm going to have to think about this whole thing for a while. You mind if I do that alone?"

"Sure, you can do that," the Pikmin herder agreed, as Wolf approached them wearing-

"Trunks, eh, Wolf?" Fox queried. "Wait, don't tell me, Bowser and Ganondorf want to meet you in the jacuzzi?"

"Is it Thursday already?" Olimar added.

"Geez, I didn't think I was _that_ predictable," Wolf sighed, brushing past the two buddies and advancing to his destination.

"You know," the shorter one suspected when Wolf was out of earshot, "I think he's going to tell them about the void."

"Is that really a bad thing? It's not like they're going to turn us in."

* * *

Wolf slipped into the warmth of the hot tub. Jets of air massaged his body and the water's heat opened up his pores. Yes, this tub was truly the most relaxing spot in the mansion. So, naturally, the villians took it for themselves.

Well, half the villians. King Dedede never took off his sweater in the company of other people, and the last time Wario used the tub the stench wouldn't leave for a month. Bowser, Ganondorf and Wolf, on the other hand, used the spa regularly, and would slaughter anyone who tried to sneak in a session.

"Where have you been, Wolf?" Bowser threw up one of his arms in frustration, splashing water all over the canine. This was obviously a deliberate action on the Koopa's part, but Wolf brushed it aside as if it were a regular occurrence. "We've been waiting for you for the past hour!"

"MARCO!"

"Hey, Toon!" Ganondorf turned to Toon Link, who was currently in, where else, the heated pool. "Nobody's there to play with you!"

"Yeah, there is," the sword-wielder corrected, pointing to a green dinosaur floating effortlessly in the water.

_I believe what Ganondorf was_ trying _to say_, Yoshi corrected in thought, _was that nobody_ wants _to play with you! Now let me relax in peace!_

"Anyway, I'm sorry I was a little late," Wolf apologised. "I was stuck… someplace else for a while."

"Dude, you can tell us you were stuck on the toilet," Bowser guessed. "We don't judge people on things like that. Unless they're called 'Mario.'"

"Actually, I left the grounds last night, with Olimar and those two Star Fox clowns. You'll never guess what I found out there-"

"Does Yoshi want to play with Linky?" Toon Link babbled. "Yes he does, yes he does!"

_I have a master's degree in literature, you ignorant child_, Yoshi fumed. _I will not be talked to like some household pet! Damn these under-developed vocal chords of mine!_

"So Wolf, what did you find?" the Gerudo King asked.

"You're not going to believe me, but I got to the end of the road and saw absolutely nothing else."

"Well that's a perfectly reasonable thing to find. I don't know why you'd think-"

"No, I meant that… argh, this is so hard to describe! It was like… a void or something."

"Okay, Yoshi, this is how we play," Toon Link chirped, oblivious to Yoshi's indifference. "You have to avoid being caught by me, and say 'Polo' whenever I say 'Marco!' Oh wait, I forgot, you can't talk!"

_I cry myself to sleep every night knowing that, _Yoshi wished he could say.

"Shut up, Toon, nobody cares!" The dark-skinned man growled at the boy, then turned back to Wolf. "A void of what, exactly?"

"A void of... nothingness, like everything ended where the road did."

"So how exactly were you stuck, then?" Bowser questioned. "Were you entranced by this void; pondering the beauty of what does not exist? That doesn't sound like you."

"Well, Fox and his lackey leapt off the edge, so I did too."

"Woah, really?" Ganondorf's jaw fell in awe. "How the hell did you all get back?"

"I'm not entirely sure how this worked, but when I stopped falling, I was covered in gel and wires."

"Sounds kinky," the Koopa King chuckled. Ganondorf rolled his eyes and sighed at the monster's immaturity.

"And when I went back to sleep, I was lying on my bed," the Star Wolf commander concluded. "I don't know how that works, so don't ask"

Bowser and Ganondorf looked at Wolf with puzzled gazes, inclined to believe he was lying.

"I caught you, Yoshi! I won! Your turn!" Toon Link pat the dino on his naturally-ocurring saddle, winning an extremely one-sided game.

_Yay,_ Yoshi scoffed. _Can you leave me alone now?_

The villians were trying to ignore the commotion in the pool.

"If you don't believe me," Wolf defended, "you can come with me tonight and see for yourself."

"Eh," the Gerudo shrugged. "I got nothing better to do."

"Me neither," Bowser agreed.

"Aw, Yoshi looks sad. Does he need a hug?"

A second later, Toon Link found himself in the villian's spa, clutching his head where it impacted. _Note to self_, the boy finally thought, _Yoshi is not as cute as he looks_. And then the hero realised what he was standing in and which three smashers were towering over him, staring a hole into his composure.

"Oh, I didn't realise I was in your way," Toon stammered to the villians' unflinching stares. "I'll just get out and-" Before he could finish his sentence, he realised he was about to fold two aces. "…tell Master Hand that you three were going to break out tonight."

"I'll arrange your eulogy, then," Ganondorf snarled, never for a second taking his eyes off the boy who lost his courage faster than he gained it. "It'll begin with 'Toon Link was an annoying tattletale who didn't know his place.'"

In response, the "hero" ran inside so fast he left an after-image.

"So, Wolf," Bowser began, sitting back down, "meet you at midnight?"

"Meet me at midnight," Wolf confirmed.

_Meet you at midnight_, Yoshi planned, finally getting the rest he wanted.


	4. Voyage

It was time for the last meal of the day. The Smashers all took their seats at their table in the dining room. There was a table for every friend circle: your villains, your kids, your token chicks and your big eaters. Kirby, Wario and Yoshi made up the latter clique, and were texting each other while they waited for their meal. It may seem weird to use phones to converse with people in the same room, but why should Yoshi be excluded just because he can't speak?

_You will never guess what those villainous types were talking about today_, the dinosaur sent to the other two.

_I wish you wouldn't call them that_, Wario replied. _I don't like to be lumped in with those four_.

_Regardless_, Yoshi continued, filing the moustached man's comment as irrelevant, _they're planning to jump the fence tonight._

_y?_ Kirby's question was short, yet valid.

_Apparently there's this void outside of the grounds that they want to check out. I think Master Hand would like to know about that._

_They're going to kill you, _Wario warned.

_Who said I was actually going to tell him? _the dinosaur revealed._ I'm going to use this information as blackmail._

_wat would they have 2 offer? _Another question came from the pink one's phone.

_You know that jacuzzi they spend every free minute in?_

Everyone at the table nodded in approval. No more needed to be said.

Yoshi's thumbs flew across his Blackberry as he composed a text. When the big eaters didn't feel any vibration from their phones, they looked over to the villains' table. Wolf was the first to react to the message, pulling Bowser and Ganondorf into a huddle. When the huddle dispersed, Ganondorf texted back to the dinosaur.

As said dinosaur read the reply, his smug smirk grew ever so slightly. _Gentlemen_, his phone said to those of Kirby and Wario, _you are now looking at the fourth Spa Dweller_.

"What." Yoshi's friends didn't know whether to be more confused by him calling the villains Spa Dwellers, or the fact that he now was one.

_Yes, that's what I'm calling them_, Yoshi confirmed in his next text. _You didn't want me to call them the villains, did you, Wario?_

_But why didn't they threaten you with disembowelment?_ Wario answered with a marginally related question.

Yoshi flashed back to a few hours ago, when he tossed Toon Link into the Spa Dwellers' spa.

_Wario, I honestly have no idea, _came the reply.

Olimar, Fox, Falco and Sonic stared at the big eaters hunched over cell phone screens.

"You know, maybe we should take a leaf out of their book." Fox suggested, feeling his mobile vibrate in his pocket.

Falco had texted him a message that read: _Already on it, Fox._

_Anyway,_ Olimar sent to the other three at the table, _how about we discuss that void?_

_What void? _Sonic was the only one at the table yet to make the leap.

_Go to the mansion gate at night, _Falco joked. _There's got to be at least one dude getting out._

_I think I have a theory as to what the void might be, _Fox mused. _What if this place was a simulation?_

_Explain yourself, big thinker,_ Sonic ordered.

_Well, you know how when you leap off the edge into the void you wake up covered in wires?_

_No I don't, I haven't done that yet,_ the hedgehog defended.

_What if those wires led to a central computer mainframe which processed the reality we are currently in? _Fox ignored the fastest thing alive.

_That's actually a very credible theory, Fox. _Falco congratulated his ally's thinking. _I'm surprised we didn't jump to that conclusion, to be honest._

_So we're living in a virtual reality, _Olimar summarised. _The new question here, then, is why we're being kept in VR in the first place._

_That's something I'm not so sure about, _Fox admitted. _Whatever the reason, I doubt it will make much sense._

"Enough talk; the food's here!" Sonic had put away his mobile and proceeded to demolish a plate of chili dogs.

"So Sonic, you going to leap off the edge of the world tonight?" Fox asked, realising that Sonic probably wasn't paying attention to his cell anymore.

Sonic looked at Fox with confusion and curiosity, but not for long enough that he stopped eating his dinner.

"Okay, I'll send you an email explaining things later," the vulpine shrugged.

"Well, I've got to eat in my room, so I'll see you tonight?" Olimar planned. "If you're going to see the void again, of course."

"Meh, not like there's much else to do," Sonic stated now that he finished his dinner already.

"Sonic, your speed never ceases to amaze me," the astronaut chuckled, collecting his meal and taking it to a place where he could actually eat it. On his way out, Olimar ran into Lucas, who was also leaving the room. "Hey Lucas, where are you going? A kid like you can't have finished his meal already."

"Oh, I wasn't very hungry," Lucas defended. "I think I'm going to go to bed early."

"Well, sleep is important too. Hey, your room's on the way to mine! We could walk together and talk for a while-"

"No, please don't!" The psychic stuck out his arms in protest. "I can walk alone. You go on ahead."

"If you insist, Lucas. I don't mind going by myself," Olimar smiled. "Although I was looking forward to hearing how your day's been." Lucas watched the Pikmin herder stroll down the hallway to his bedroom. The young boy crept out of the dining room and rushed off in the wrong direction.

Wrong, that is, if one assumed Lucas was going to bed. The blonde's true destination was the living quarters of the mansion landlord and guardian.

* * *

The void towered over a large party of smashers, glowing white with the brightness of a thousand suns but never casting light on solid ground. The group stood at the end of the road, awestruck by the impossible sight they stared at.

"What a turnout, folks," Wolf cheered, slowly clapping at the party's bravery. "Not one, not two, but FIVE people are here to take the leap for the first time!"

"Say what?" Sonic protested.

He, along with Bowser, Ganondorf, Yoshi and Toon Link, presumed that there would be no leaping involved. Even while Olimar explained how safe it was they could not help to be afraid of casting themselves into a realm of nothing.

When the astronaut finished describing the "real" world beyond the void, there was nothing else said for quite some time. Toon's lips wobbled and Sonic restlessly tapped his foot on the rough path, but aside from that there was no sound or movement from anyone.

"So are you going to jump off?" Wolf suggested.

"Are you insane?" Toon Link and Sonic cried out. Clearly, the hedgehog didn't get Fox's email.

"I just told you it's not going to kill you," Olimar sighed, frustrated at being ignored. "It's actually kind of fun and I would recommend you make the leap."

"Why do we want to do this…?" Toon stammered, shuffling up to the edge regardless. The young boy looked down, seeing the void engulf not just what was in front, but also what was below.

"Because you want irrefutable evidence that this mansion is just a simulation, remember?"

"I don't think I really want-" The hero felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He had gotten a text from Yoshi.

_Hurry up and jump already_, it read.

Toon Link didn't have time to think about that message, because Yoshi kicked him into the void. His bloodcurling scream got softer and softer as he fell further and further, until no trace of him was left.

"You know, Yoshi," Ganondorf chuckled, patting Yoshi on the head, "I think you just earned your place with us." The Gerudo King failed to notice the dinosaur's eyes getting narrower with annoyance every successive pat. At least, not until he was thrown after his nemesis by Yoshi's surprisingly strong arms.

_I am not a pet!_ Yoshi's thought process at that point was nothing more than that sentence looped over and over. He clenched his fists tightly and breathed loudly and heavily.

"Uh, Yoshi, you don't have to take the leap if you don't want to," Wolf laughed nervously, slowly backing away from the terrifying green monster.

Yoshi rolled his eyes and sent a text to Wolf.

_I, unlike Toon, actually listen to conversations that are within earshot, _the message read.

When the canine looked up from his mobile screen, Yoshi was gone. "Did he take the-"

"Yes, Wolf, he did," Olimar confirmed.

Sonic was staring wide-eyed at the edge where his friends leapt off. So far, he and Bowser were the only two left to jump. "Bowser, please tell me you're not as dumb as those other three."

"I can tell you I'm not dumb_er_," the Koopa shrugged, putting his hands together and diving into the light.

The blue speedster was the only one left who hadn't seen the world outside, and the other two that did cast their eyes on him expectantly.

"So are you going to do it?" Wolf asked.

"You mean kill myself? No, I'm not an idiot."

"Mario would do it."

"That's because he's an idiot."

"No," Olimar corrected, "he'd do it because he's braver than you."

Sonic was not there anymore.

"Where did he go…"

"The void," Wolf guessed.

A second later, the Arwing pilot was proved wrong when Sonic dumped Mario at his feet.

The plumber rose from his slumber clutching his head and shivering. "What do you all want?" he groaned, still sleepy. He turned his gaze to the void. "I don't know this place... Are we out of bounds?"

"Mario, shut up and try not to focus on the rules for one second," Wolf demanded. "There's an impossible sight right in front of you!"

The moustachioed man was too tired for his brain to function at perfect capacity, so he simply nodded at the wall of light.

"Anyway, Mario," Olimar explained, "If you leap into this here void, you'll wake up in the real world. Do you want to see this real world?"

Mario would have turned and fled if he were actually awake, but in his state of almost-sleep, he obeyed Olimar as if the order came from his own brain, shuffling off the edge of the world. Sonic's jaw dropped lower than it should have been able to.

"Well, Sonic, are you as brave as your rival?" Wolf questioned.

The blue blur answered this question by somersaulting into the void.

"I think that makes…" Olimar counted with the fingers of his glove, "ten smashers who've leapt into the void in three days. Good job, Wolf."

"I see I'm not the only showoff here," Wolf laughed regarding Sonic, as he walked back to the mansion with Olimar following behind him.

* * *

(Sir, six more patients have awakened.)

(So have Patient Ori and the Star Fox representatives invited two more patients to reality?)

(No, sir. These six have never regained consciousness up until now.)

(Okay, who are we talking about?)

(Patients Tunu, Gano, Yoshi, Kupa, Soni and Mari.)

(Patient Mari? Why, if he knows about this place, soon everyone will. And if everyone knows, they could band together and break out! That would mean catastrophe!)

(So we can't let then have their fun anymore?)

(No, Masuto-san, we cannot. It's too late to do anything tonight, but tomorrow you will have to start keeping tabs on the mansion and ensure that these awakenings stop.)

(Understood, sir.)

(And do something about your sister. She keeps hacking into the simulation. God knows what she'd do if she knew people were actually trying to escape.)


	5. Caught

"Master Hand… I need to tell you something important!"

The large hand awoke to Lucas tapping his bedroom door. The young psychic was obviously extremely tired, having tried to get attention for the past few hours.

"Lucas, what is it?"

"A whole bunch of smashers are going to jump the fence tonight!"

The door swung open for the child. "Why don't you come in and explain?" the hand offered.

Lucas and Master Hand entered the latter's office. It felt to the child just like seeing the principal at his old school. Was the office supposed to feel like that? Perhaps, perhaps not, it didn't really matter. Besides, his principal wasn't ever a giant hand.

Lucas's master positioned himself opposite the young boy.

"So you say that some of the smashers are trying to escape?" Master Hand asked.

"They've already escaped, some of them," Lucas replied. "Toon Link told me about this… void outside the grounds."

"Don't worry, Lucas. I know."

"You know? Why haven't you punished them for breaking the only rule you gave them?"

"Punish…? Oh, yes. I'll be sure to get right on that."

"Do you know anything about this void?"

"Yes, but I am not allowed to tell you." The Master made a gesture that could be equated to shaking head in stern refusal.

"And yet you're okay with those other smashers knowing, so why not me?"

"Lucas, I am not okay with those other smashers knowing, I'm punishing them. Unless you want to be punished as well, you will let the both of us sleep."

Ending the discussion then and there, the master of the mansion escorted Lucas out of his office. The poor child was left confused and very, very tired.

* * *

When the sun rose on Smash Mansion, a blue hedgehog and a green dinosaur were waiting for a red-dressed plumber to cross their path in the hallway. They heard footsteps approach, which belonged not to the plumber they hoped to see, but a young pointy-eared boy who wasn't very happy to see them.

"What. The. Hell, Yoshi," Toon Link fumed. "I could have died down there! I don't even know how I survived; it was utterly illogical!"

_I'm surprised you know the meaning of that word_, Yoshi thought.

"Ugh, I had the craziest dream last night," Mario moaned as he approached the group in the hallway. "I was falling down a gigantic hole, then I was swimming in this gelatinous substance and I was covered in wires…"

"I had that dream too," Toon added, "except it wasn't a dream. It was real, and Yoshi couldn't have known that when he kicked me off a cliff!"

_I knew all that was going to happen, dumbass,_ Yoshi scoffed, _because I actually listened to Wolf's conversation! Speaking of which, there's that time I threw you fifty feet into the air… _

"And look at him, he's smiling at the thought of my terrified screams. Anyone would have screamed, you sadist!"

"Hate to break it to you, Toon," Sonic pointed out, smirking in that trademark way of his, "but it turns out that you're wrong about that."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope," the anthropomorph admitted, counting off names on his fingers, "Bowser, Ganondorf, Yoshi and myself all made the leap without crying ourselves to sleep. Oh, and Mario, but only because he was asleep already, kinda."

The portly plumber shot a puzzled glance at nobody in particular, wondering what everyone was talking about. Cliffs? Leaps? Screams? He'd put the pieces of the puzzle together later, but right now it was time for breakfast. _Pancakes sure are delicious…_

"Anyway," Toon Link chuckled, "I guess we should all get breakfast too."

"Agreed," Sonic simply stated, dashing to the dining room with his world-famous speed and leaving Yoshi to trip up Toon in an attempt to catch up.

* * *

_Leaving the mansion grounds is prohibited. All offenders will be punished._

So read the announcement occupying a greedy half of the Smash Brothers Noticeboard. Fox scratched his chin in contemplation, although there wasn't really much to contemplate. Someone had to have told the Master about those night-time trips everyone was taking, thereby setting into motion extra security measures. Presumably…

Question is: who and why?

Fox was snapped out of his thoughts when two bodies crashed into each other behind his back. The vulpine turned around to see Yoshi and Lucas pick themselves up from the floor, Toon Link approaching in a wave of angry muttering.

"Oh, um…" Lucas clearly did not want to share anything right now. "Master Hand wants you all to see him in his office…" The young boy was a beast in the battlefield, but would otherwise flinch at everything that did anything in his direction.

"Um… Okay, Lucas," Fox sighed.

"I don't know anything!" the boy shrieked, carrying his legs as far away from the others as he was allowed to.

Those others looked at each other for quite a while afterwards, silently discussing Lucas' announcement. If Yoshi could have talked, he would have been first to break the silence.

_I think he knows something_, would have been what he said.

* * *

"I think you all know why I've called this meeting," Master Hand declared.

Aside from him, there was a cluster of ten smashers seated in his office. Being such a diverse selection, they only had one thing in common.

"Every single one of you broke the only rule I put in place. This was acceptable at first, but I fear that you may be planning something undesirable."

Mario's confusion was worlds ahead of that felt by the others. It still didn't click that his dream wasn't exactly a dream. Yet.

"So, in order to ensure that said plans do not come to fruition, disciplinary actions will need to be taken. You will be placed in lockdown for the next month, barred from using any facility in this mansion besides the bathroom and your bedroom."

"Your fault," Ganondorf muttered to Wolf, slapping him upside the head.

"But I am willing to be lenient. Many of you only left the grounds because you were told by a friend of what lied beyond. You were led astray by curiosity. Of this, I can understand."

A cumulative sigh of relief overwhelmed the meeting room. Nobody wondered why Master Hand would bring up a punishment he was not going to withhold.

"However, if we use simple logic, it is clear that this was not the case for at least one of you. The person or people I refer to jumped the fence simply because they could. These people broke the rule because it was there to be broken.

"So this is what we'll do. If you tell me who is responsible for spreading the secret of the void, that person will receive their punishment and the rest of you will be let go on the promise that you never jump the fence again."

Bowser was first to speak, thinking about himself ahead of his "friends." "Wolf told me everything, and for the record I regret nothing."

The accused canine rolled his eyes, expecting such a comment from one of his two allies. "And I heard it from Fox, so I can't be punished either. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a long overdue breakfast to eat." Wolf departed to the dining room, followed closely behind by the other villians.

"Is this true, Fox?" the Master asked.

"Yes, Master Hand."

"And did anyone else tell you about the void?"

Fox halted his speech before he blurted out Olimar's name. The poor astronaut couldn't possibly cope with the stresses of lockdown. He wouldn't be allowed outside his room for a month. All that work the fox spent bringing him out of his shell would be completely ruined.

It wasn't like Olimar didn't have reason to escape. He wanted to see his family again. But Master Hand wouldn't have any of that. He wants Olimar to stay here forever. That's just not reasonable.

But Olimar was just as in the wrong. His method of escape was short-sighted. He didn't think about what would happen when his suit ran out of breathable air. He'd suffocate under poisonous oxygen, dying cold and alone without ever having reached his goal. Master Hand only had his, and everyone's, safety and happiness at heart.

Everything that giant gloved hand did was for the smashers' benefit. He had given everything to make them happy. Fox didn't want to cause him stress.

So what was the fox supposed to do? Should he tell Master Hand the truth, or lie to save his friend? Should Olimar be safe, or should Olimar be happy? Fox couldn't decide just yet, but had to. Master Hand was growing impatient.

"Well, Fox, do you know anything?"

Fox had to come to a decision quick. Taking deep calming breaths, he made the choice that would change the mansion forever.


	6. Spring

Pit strolled casually across the mansion hallways, not quite sure what he was going to do today. The new videogame releases wouldn't be here until tomorrow, and that was just too close. How could the angel play Assassin's Creed II when Assassin's Creed III was just around the corner?

Palutena would know what to do. The goddess of light always used to help out Pit when he couldn't think about things. It was weird not having her around, and the five years he spent at the mansion didn't soften that feeling. Of course, back in those days Palutena was the only person Pit knew.

He really did need to make some friends. And when he did, he never looked back.

The winged man's wandering saw him pass Master Hand's meeting room at a ridiculously perfect time. Looking into the door's window for curiosity's sake, he saw a third of the entire mansion discussing something quite important. Among the group were the Spring Dwellers, as Pit called them in his thoughts. Those villainous rats brutalized the brunette whenever he so much as put a toe in their beloved hot spring. One day, that spring would be his…

Palutena's right-hand man snapped himself out of his daydream and eavesdropped on the meeting, deciding that he might have fun spreading gossip.

"…Disciplinary actions will need to be taken. You will be placed in lockdown for the next month, barred from using any facility in this mansion…"

_So there's going to be a mass imprisonment? Ho-ho, this'll make some juicy gossip. Wait a minute… the Spring Dwellers are going into lockdown, so they can't use the hot spring or prevent anyone from using it… Oh, great Palutena, this is going to be the best day ever!_

Pit knew precisely what he was going to do. First, he was going to get his closest pals together. After all, what good would a celebration be without friends to share it with? What kind of angel would Pit be if he hogged all the hot-spring joy?

* * *

Of course, Pit's friends refused. Despite his constant reassurances that the Spring Dwellers would not harvest their souls, Link, Marth and Ike weren't willing to comply.

Link didn't believe Pit at all, Marth believed Pit but claimed that the Spring Dwellers "are going to find out at some point, Pit, and they're not going to be happy with us when they do!" and Ike just slammed the door on him.

So Pit was left alone in the hot spring. Such a shame his friends didn't want to share the fun, but the spring was so roomy without anyone else to share with. There was enough space to stretch out and relax. The spring felt like a massage bed made out of warm water! Awesome.

The Skyworld native almost dozed off in his relaxed state, but a very rude Gerudo, with his wolf and Koopa buddies beside him, woke him up with a shout.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in there?"

"Hey, Ganondorf. I thought you were in lock-" Pit's brain may have been slowed down by heat, but even the painfully obvious got through eventually. "Oh… this is bad."

"Here we are, just heading off to get some breakfast for our aching stomachs, only to see someone setting up camp in OUR spa!" Wolf complained.

"Okay, do you mind if I quote you on that? You were getting breakfast!" The angel sure wasn't getting out of that spring without a fight, even if he'd be outnumbered. "You three wouldn't be using this for an hour at least; what's the problem with me using it in the meantime?"

"I have a flamethrower in my mouth and I really want to use it!" Bowser threatened, unaware of the crowd that had come to watch the argument. ("I told you he was lying," Link whispered.)

"Guys," Pit pleaded, "you've used this hot spring practically non-stop ever since you moved in here over _five years_ ago; I only want it for _one day_! Heck, I'll leave in an hour if it means _that_ much to you!"

"You knew what we'd do to you if we ever found you doing this," Wolf said, "you're going to take your punishment like the man you're not!"

"Some people can't be reasoned with," the angel muttered.

"Right, that's it." Ganondorf had lost his patience. "Bowser! Fire at will!"

Pit quickly pulled a strange weapon out of nowhere and blasted his assailants with a gigantic star-shaped shot before they could react. All three of them were thrown many feet by the blast, yet nobody managed to hit the pool.

Stroking the weapon lovingly, the new king of the spring gloated: "Gentlemen, you have just felt the wrath of my Crusader Blade. I like to call her Sasha, but you can call her your doom. She has a six-star ranged attack rating and a four-star melee rating, along with plus four modifiers to health, stationary charged shots and evasion. She charges fast, travels quickly and doesn't weigh me down."

Ganondorf picked himself up off the ground and immediately began spinning in place, losing his balance and tumbling into the pool.

"Oh, and a plus three modifier to confusion," Pit added.

"I have no idea what any of that means," Bowser groaned, clutching his aching head. "All I know is that it hurts. A lot."

"Tell you what, guys," the armed and dangerous Pit said, "I'm willing to be lenient even after you tried to barbecue me. You can still have the spring all to yourselves on, let's say, Monday and Tuesday, but for the rest of the week, it's free access for everyone. Even you, so long as you don't hog it for six hours."

"Why would we agree to that?" Even when looking down the barrel of a "gun," Wolf would never simply surrender.

"Because I, along with Sasha, will be keeping a very close eye on you."

"Okay, okay!" Bowser groaned, already feeling Sasha's second round. "We'll agree to your terms, just don't shoot me again!"

"Oh, what the hell, Bowser?" Wolf was not impressed.

Pit holstered Sasha with caution, satisfied at a job well done. Good thing today was Friday.

"Link, Ike, Marth," Pit chuckled, turning his head towards his three friends, "do you want to join me now?"

"You mean you could have done that all this time?" Link yelled. Not the highly positive reaction the winged man had been hoping for.

"Well, I've only had Sasha for about a month, so-"

"You mean you could have done that anytime in the past month?" Ike yelled.

"Guys," Pit sighed, "do you want to bathe in the hot spring or not?"

"You know, I really do," Marth said. "I'm going to go change."

The Centurion commander watched his sword-wielding friends scurry into the mansion, clearing his mind of worry. How did the angel go this long without hot spring time? No, don't dwell on the past. The present is now, and it's so relaxing… Although Pit did see Fox in the meeting room with the ex-Spring Dwellers. Did he escape punishment like those three did? What exactly happened in there? Eh, who cared? It's hot spring time now!

* * *

**Yes, I do enjoy Kid Icarus: Uprising. It's awesome. Totally worth the pain.**

**By the way, if you didn't like it, this chapter's only canonical if you want it to be.**


	7. Hacker

"Fox, we're waiting. Do you have anything to say in your defence?"

Everyone's eyes pierced the vulpine as he quickly made his mind. Although he doubted his decision, he knew that his only other choice was just as iffy. Time would tell whether he did the right thing, but for now…

"It was me. I'm the first one who made the leap."

Master Hand was very confused by this confession. "Really? I didn't think you were the type of person who'd do something like this." The fox was always a by-the-book, honor-before-anything-else sort of person; why would he break the rules?

"Hey, Fox," Falco interjected, "what are you going on about? Don't listen to him, Master; it was actually-"

"Thank you for trying to defend me, Falco," Fox laughed sheepishly before his comrade could ruin everything, "but I'm being perfectly honest right now."

"Why did you do it, Fox?" the Master asked.

"You kept saying that I wasn't allowed to leave the grounds, but that just made me wonder what was outside." With the pressure of his choice finally lifted, Fox could think much better. Thankfully, his excuse wasn't that much different to his own reasons for escaping with his friend. "My curiosity overwhelmed me and I had to escape. When I saw that void, I knew I had to tell everyone about it, because… well, what else could I do?"

"Alright…" Master Hand sighed. "I'm going to assume the rest of you are going to say you heard about the void from Fox, right?" Hurried nods of approval came from the rest of the smashers in the room. "Okay, then. I'm glad that we could come to an agreement. Meeting dismissed. Fox, you're going to remain here until your bedroom is prepared for lockdown. Everyone else, dismissed."

The sound of toppling chairs engulfed the meeting room as the excused party hurried away to freedom. Fox and his master were the only two left in the meeting room.

"So Master Hand," the furred one inquired, "what exactly is going to happen to me?"

No response from the master. Weird. He definitely heard the question, but he didn't seem to be even close to answering it.

"Master? Hello? Are you there?"

* * *

(What are you doing, Karezi?)

(Hi, brother! I'm just having a little bit of fun with the Smashers! A girl can have a bit of fun, can't she?)

(You're not allowed to be in here, Karezi, and you're certainly not allowed to hack into the simulation.)

(Lighten up, Masuto! I'm just shaking them up a little, you know? Keep 'em on their toes.)

(I'm currently supposed to be watching a rule-breaking patient right now, and I had to leave him unsupervised so I could get you out of-)

(He's unsupervised? Well, happy days! It's time to break a jailbird out!)

(Karezi, I have been very lenient with you thus far. You may be my sister, but if you keep partaking in these illegal activities to the detriment of this operation I shall do nothing to prevent you receiving lawful punishment!)

(Argh! You meanie! Fine, I'll leave. But you can't stop me from coming back! I'm a force of nature!)

(Maybe I can't, but security can. Now get out before I call them up. And spit out that silly voice changer!)

* * *

"Whoa, what happened to Crazy?"

A giant disembodied gloved left hand, which had previously been entertaining the younger smashers in the hallway, was now perfectly silent and still.

"It's just another one of Crazy Hand's narcoleptic fits, Popo," Nana reassured. "He'll be up and about in roughly an hour or so."

"You mean he can just go to sleep instantly? Man, I wish I could do that." The mountain-climbing boy had a hard time getting to sleep at night and an even harder time getting up in the morning.

"Narcolepsy doesn't work that way, Popo," Ness said, with that know-it-all air around him. "He can't simply decide to sleep, it happens when it gets triggered somehow. If he could simply decide to go to sleep, he wouldn't decide to go to sleep in the middle of the day!"

"Well, this is Crazy Hand we're talking about," Lucas added. "We don't know what's going on inside his head."

"Hey, guys!" The children staring at the motionless hand were now attracted to Toon Link's voice from the balcony. "Hey, is that Crazy Hand? Aw, man. What did I miss?"

"A one-man reproduction of the Battle of Hastings," Popo replied, "if everyone was a walrus."

"Eh…"

"It was better than it sounds, honest!"

"Hey, Toon, where have you been?" Nana asked. "We normally meet up after breakfast, but you weren't there!"

"Had to go to some boring meeting," the young swordsman sighed as he walked down the stairs. "The master said he was going to punish me for leaving the grounds, but then he didn't."

"You left the grounds?" Nana shrieked. "Why would you do a thing like that?"

"I was just curious, okay?" Toon shrugged. "These guys were talking about something outside the grounds, I think, so I tailed them."

"Which guys? What are you saying, Toon?" Ness inquired.

"You know those villains? They were planning a breakout. Yoshi, Olimar and Sonic were there too… for some reason."

"What were they doing? Why did they do it?"

Toon Link's fantastic tale now had all the kids' attention. "There's this… you're not going to believe me if I tell you."

"Try us," Popo laughed. "We live with a giant turtle, space-faring canids, an angel, a two-dimensional mystery character, a hedgehog in sneakers, an electric mouse and a pair of giant disembodied hands. We can believe anything."

"Okay, fine. A fair way out of the mansion, there's this giant empty space that stretches out for eternity. Yoshi pushed me into it, I fell for a while and then I woke up in this immersion tank… thing. Then I fell asleep again and I woke up in my room. I don't know what the heck either, but it's true."

Silence eclipsed the children as they deciphered what the cartoon had just said.

Finally, Popo spoke up: "Anything but that… whatever it was."

"No… it's true." Lucas, rubbing the back of his neck, defended his friend's honor. "Toon Link told me about it yesterday."

"And not us?" Ness was shocked at his Hylian friend's apparent distrust. "Toon, why did you tell Lucas of all people, and why didn't he tell us?"

"I…" It was Toon Link's turn to look guilty. "I don't know. I didn't think it was safe or something… I just don't know. Look, can we put aside the questions and get on with our lives? Please?"

"Fine, but for the record, we still don't believe you."

* * *

_(Why must that brother of mine insist on me staying out of his business? It's not right what he's doing with the smashers: forcing them to live their entire lives in a bubble. They need to get out of there. Surely they miss their family and friends; surely they desire a physical connection rather than one made out of ones and zeros? I'm in the right here. If I can find a way to get them all out at once, the past five years of investigation won't be for nothing._

_I can't just throw them all off the edge in the middle of the night when they're all sleeping. They'd think the real world was a dream. Planting that idea in Olimar's head was a good start, although I can't believe he fell for my rusty Hocotese. But with Masuto's new security measures, it'll be very hard to get everybody to escape._

_At least I finally managed to create a wireless connection to the smashers' reality. Now I can infiltrate the simulation without having to sneak into restricted areas. That was some good timing on my part. Perhaps now I won't give my roommates heart attacks with my constantly never being here. Only problem is, the secret is now in this unguarded apartment. If someone sneaks into my room, and they will at some point, they'll find it and reveal it. That could mean my head on the chopping block____…_ maybe even the end of civilization!)

"Hey, Karezi! We're getting takeout tonight, are you coming with us?"

_(Ugh. It's been nothing but interruptions ever since that exchange student moved in. I'm supposed to help her learn Japanese, but she is too much hassle. Still, she's a good person who means well. Can't really blame her, can I?)_

"Karezi, if you don't answer my question soon, I'm coming in!"

"Elise, calm down. I'm really busy at the moment, so I hope you understand if I choose not to accompany you."

"Alright then. Do you want me to bring you back anything?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Is there anything at all you need before I go?"

"I'm fine. Watashi wa genkidesu."

"Okay, I'll leave you to what you're doing. Sayōnara, Karezi."

_(Is she gone yet? Oh, thank goodness she's gone. Now, let's see if I can find a weakness in the mansion security. Hmm… the front gate is guarded ferociously, but the back wall isn't all that tall. Nothing on the other side but forest. Cut through the forest and we reach__… _of course… this is perfect! There's hope for the smashers after all!)


	8. Defect

All Fox could do was sleep.

Apparently, preparing a room for lockdown meant removing anything remotely fun from it. No videogames, no television, no computer, not even a mirror. This room of his was so depressing without all his stuff. It was also freezing cold. If it wasn't for the bed still being the same as it ever was, you'd swear it was a prison cell. At least people were allowed to talk to him… through the reinforced steel door only Master Hand could open.

What sort of sicko would make you ask permission to use the bathroom?

Olimar had better appreciate what he had done for him. Even though the two aliens-by-definition had gotten along like peanut butter and chocolate, Fox never thought he'd ever take a fall for the bizarre friendship, although crazier things have happened at the mansion he called home.

"Fox?" A very familiar voice was slightly muffled by the impenetrable wall blocking the vulpine from the outside world. Even though the Arwing pilot had a feeling his astronaut friend wouldn't just let him rot, it was still surprising to hear his voice. The fox approached the foot-thick slab of metal separating him from his pal.

"Olimar! What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to come by and… thank you. Thank you for doing… what you did."

"You don't need to thank me. I didn't want you to go through what I'm going through now. You had your reasons for escaping, reasons Master Hand couldn't understand."

"Well I have to make it up to you somehow."

"You can start by making the most of what I've given up. For starters, try not to throw yourself into the real world again. I can only do this once."

"That's true." Olimar chuckled a little. Nothing could take away Fox's sense of humor.

"Just try and spread the word around. After all, the Master said nothing about telling people, right?"

"Good idea. I'm going to do that. I promise I'll come back and let you know how things are going outside."

The once-Pikmin-herder's footsteps faded until it was clear that he was no longer there. He was already taking steps to his goal, but releasing Fox was not one of those steps. The leader of Star Fox was left alone once more, with only his thoughts to keep him company. Did Olimar know what he was doing? Would the little astronaut figure things out on his own? Was everything going to crash and burn?

Was curiosity going to kill the cat?

* * *

"Ness, I'm cold," Lucas whined.

"You said you didn't need a jacket, you have no right to complain."

As Crazy Hand had asked of them, two psychic children and two Ice Climbers were waiting for him in the garden area. The flowers covering the ground around them lost their colour to the midnight veil.

"Nana, I'm tired," Popo moaned.

"I told you we were going to stay up until midnight; you should have realised that."

"Story of our life, eh, Nana?" Ness chuckled.

"What are you children doing up so late?"

The four kids were startled by a soft, yet disapproving and stern voice right behind them. Turning around on a dime, their gaze was met by that of the Aura Pokémon, Lucario. The jackal-like creature's crossed arms and creased brow told the little ones that they were in some kind of trouble.

"I'd like an explanation as to what possessed you to not be in bed at this hour."

"Erm… Aliens?"

"A truthful explanation would be preferred, Popo."

"Okay, Lucario," Lucas sighed. "I'll give you one."

"Lucas!" Ness gasped. "Do you want us to get into trouble or something?"

"Of course not. Don't be stupid. I just don't want to get into more trouble!"

"That is a wise decision, young one." Lucario knelt down and rested his hands on his knee. "So what, exactly, are you children doing?"

"Well, we're waiting for Crazy Hand. See, there's this void…"

* * *

"…we just wanted to see this void for ourselves. We were going to come back right away!"

"That is not what Master Hand is concerned about," Lucario said. While the blue and black Pokémon was at first prepared to escort the children back inside, he changed his mind upon recalling a particular part of Lucas' tale: "Also… what was that about a 'real world?'"

"Um… apparently this place is some kind of simulation, and jumping into the void makes you wake up in the real world."

"And you heard this from…?"

"Crazy Hand told us!" Popo blurted out, not stopping to think how that would affect the validity of Lucas's statement.

Lucario rested his chin on the tips of his fingers. _Hmm… I doubt that bit about jumping into the void is true, but the first bit... yes, that would explain it._ "Children, I'd like to share with you a secret of mine."

"Sir, you now have my full attention," Nana, the mansion gossip, said excitedly.

"I suppose you're wondering why I would be in the gardens at such a late hour myself. Well, the darkness is usually a suitable location for meditation. Every night, I attempt to connect to the energies of the earth and life. However… I have not been able to do this ever since I moved into the mansion."

"Ooh, spooky!"

"Popo, please refrain from interrupting me in the future. Where was I… All my attempts to meditate have been proven useless. Through my ability to see the life force that constantly surrounds us, I have been able to determine something quite unsettling.

"Not a single shred of life force resides anywhere within the mansion area. Not on the plants, not on the fauna, not even on me and you. Effectively, this mansion is completely lifeless."

"Wait, wait, wait. Lucario, you say that there isn't any life force here," Ness said doubtingly. "If that is true, how are you able to create Aura Spheres in battle, which are supposedly made from life force?"

"Ah, you seem to have found a flaw in my tale." Lucario smiled and stood up, rubbing his palms together. "I was as puzzled as you are by this impossibility. But the solution is simple." The Aura Pokemon brought his palms apart, generating an "Aura" Sphere that grew until it was as big as his head.

"These Aura Spheres are not made of life force."

"They look normal to me…" Lucas claimed. "That's a pretty convincing Aura Sphere copy, if it's a copy at all."

"Look closer, children."

The four curious kids focused on the glowing sphere, until one of them cracked the riddle.

"It's two-dimensional!" Nana gasped. "How did that happen?"

"That is something I don't have an answer for." Dismissing the Aura Disc with a clap, Lucario moved on to his conclusion. "If you say that the mansion is a computer-generated simulation, then the Smashers we live with are just projections, puppets controlled by the person they represent. This whole place is a program connected to reality only by wires and buttons. Life force cannot exist in virtual reality.

"With this information in mind, I think I shall be lenient with you. Not only will I not turn you in, I shall go with you."

"Whoa, hey! You can't just barge into our group like that!" Popo yelled. "This is an invitation only-"

"What Popo meant to say," Nana chuckled nervously, "was 'Thank you, we will be happy to accept!' Right, Popo?"

"You can't just put words into my- Oh. Oh, yes. Right."

"As I was saying," Lucario said. "I wish to travel to this real world with you. I have been longing for a proper meditation for quite some time."

"HOORAY!"

Crazy Hand touched down right in the middle of the party, barely giving them time to dodge.

"Oh, I love a good trip through the forest! Don't you?"

"Crazy! Good to see you, buddy!" The children, Popo in particular, got along really well with Master Hand's mirror image. "Hey, we've got a guest coming with us. You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind? I'm ECSTATIC! More people to share the- Oh my gee, it's a Pokeyman! I gotta catch it!"

"Perhaps my decision was made in haste," the Aura 'Pokeyman' sighed, ignoring the impact of a red-and-white ball.

"Tap B, tap B, tap B, tap B, YAY! Caught Lucario! Give a nickname to the captured Lucario? Yep! Let's call him-"

"Please stop there before you call me something humiliating."

"I was going to call you Boris, but that's a great idea you just had! I'm going to call you Diaper!"

"Crazy, I hate to interrupt your fun," Popo said, "but you did promise to show us how to get to the void, and Lucario's starting to-"

"Diaper! His name is Diaper!"

The blue-wearing Ice Climber turned towards Diaper, who was obviously struggling to restrain an uncharacteristic outburst of rage, and shrugged. "Sorry, Lucario. Just put up with it tonight and everyone will have forgotten about it by tomorrow."

"Fine," the Aura Pokémon formerly known as Lucario sighed.

"Anyway, Crazy Hand, _Diaper_'s starting to get annoyed with everyone calling him 'Diaper.' So can you show us what you're here for before he snaps?"

"Oh, yeah! Right. What you want to do is leap over that fence and keep running until you reach the void. I'll distract the Master so he doesn't find you."

"I'll go on ahead," Diaper declared, disappearing into the forest before he was called by name again.

"You mean you're not coming with us?" Popo was visibly saddened by his giant friend's parting.

"I just started the distraction now; get going!"

Crazy Hand had some immense powers and could do pretty much anything. If he said he's done it, he did it. Knowing this, the four children rushed towards and through the forest: the only thing between them and the mysterious void.

* * *

(_Well done, Karezi. That's another five smashers waking up in this world. Just 21 more smashers to go… Wow, this is going to take a while. I wish I could see the look on Masuto's face when he combs the entire building and doesn't find a trace of me!)_

*KNOCK KNOCK* "Morning, Karezi!"

"Mmm… ohayō, Elise. What's up?"

"The sun, for one. Have you been awake all night?"

"Um… I think I have."

"Fortunately for you, it's Saturday. Get some rest before you screw up your project. Whatever it is."

"Good idea, Elise."

"If you need me, I'll be out shopping. Call my mobile if you need me."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll be fine."

"Okay. Sayōnara, Karezi!"

"Sayōnara, Elise." (_I haven't slept a minute in three months. And I don't plan to until I've succeeded. The smashers might not know it yet, but I'm their only hope.)_


	9. Unfurl

The forest that bordered the Smash Mansion was dark and thick with trees. Even during the daytime, foliage blocked off a sizeable part of the sunlight. Hooting owls, whistling wind and hissing snakes(?) chilled people to their core more effectively than the frigid temperatures. There wasn't a more frightening place anywhere near the mansion or inside it. Nobody tried to cut through it unless they_ really_ wanted to see what was on the other side.

But four young smashers did, and they were brushing past giant oak trees in a mad dash. The children were much more attracted to the siren song of curiosity than their mansion roommates. They would walk through hell itself just to quench their thirst for knowledge, and it certainly felt like they were. The little ones were sweating, but not because of the exercise.

Ness, Lucas and the two Ice Climbers could see the forest's end. A small gap in the trees appeared before them, shining brightly…? The children slowed down, approaching the glowing space with a shared caution.

"Is it daytime already?" Popo asked nobody in particular.

"I don't think so," Nana replied. "I could swear we've only been running for ten minutes."

"You seem to be confused, little ones," a nearby dark-furred Aura Pokémon said, leaning on an elm. Lucario had reached the edge before the children did, but decided to wait for them in case they were afraid. From what he could tell, they were. Among other, chillier things.

"Yeah, I…" Lucas moaned. "What's that bright light?"

"I am not so sure myself," the wise Pokémon admitted, "but I would be willing to assume that it is the void."

"Looks more like a wall to me," Ness said, squinting at the brightness.

"And this is the part where people just jump off?" Nana asked. "I'm curious, not suicidal."

"I'm going to do it." Nana's partner was brave enough to face uncertainty. Apparently.

"Why?" Ness objected. "What logic is behind that decision?"

"Well, we've broken the rules," Popo explained. "If we ever go back, we're going to get punished. We can either turn around here, or go back by way of the void. If I choose the former, this entire trip was pointless. If I choose the latter, I either get what I came for or I die without receiving punishment. Frankly, I'd rather have either of those latter two."

"We won't get punished if we cover our tracks," Nana corrected, but nothing would convince her blue-clad comrade not to go through with a crazy idea.

"It seems that young Popo has made a decision." Lucario gestured toward the bright light between the trees. "You can leap when you're ready."

Despite Popo's abnormally well-thought decision, there was still the matter of actually leaping. The boy in the parka inched towards the edge of the world, afraid to leap despite having no other options. His left foot was on solid ground, but his right had nothing below it.

"HEY!"

Popo was startled by a shout from behind him; it was a miracle he didn't fall. Glancing back towards the trees, the ice climber saw a giant left hand zoom towards him at full speed.

"Everyone, jump now! We don't have time to sit around! The Master's coming!"

* * *

TEN MINUTES AGO...

Despite the fact that Fox's room was the most heavily fortified area of the mansion, the Hand insisted that someone guard the door that was literally impossible to open. That someone was Pit, an angel with wings damp from having been soaked in a hot spring for about a day.

When the centurion commander finally got his spring, he went right back on his promise that it would be shared equally. He and his three close pals did what Bowser, Ganondorf and Wolf had done for the past five years.

They wouldn't get out for lunch. They wouldn't get out for video games. They wouldn't get out to go to bed. Not even the villains were that dedicated. They thankfully got out to go to the bathroom, but the three left in the spring didn't let anyone take their absent friend's place.

Annoyed by the bishōnens' betrayal, some on the smashers seeked out the help of Master Hand. When the floating appendage was finally convinced that what Pit's gang was doing was wrong, he plonked them in front of Fox's heavy-duty steel door as punishment. They didn't even get to change out of their trunks.

"What are we even doing here?" the angel complained, shivering badly from the freezing cold. The thermostat in the mansion broke that day, and the temperature outside was below freezing. "There's no point in us sitting here doing nothing while we wait for nothing!"

"Are you sure about that, Pit?" Link asked. "I mean, there has been a lot of weird…" The Hylian interrupted his sentence with a very strong sneeze. "Ugh… I think I'm coming down with a cold."

"You and me both," Marth shuddered, furiously rubbing his body in a vain attempt to warm up.

"This is boring," Ike moaned, leaning on a wall trying to look as cool as he felt. "I want something to happen!"

Just as the words escaped his lips, the four heard a rumble behind the door... somehow.

"What was that?" The rumble almost threw Pit off balance.

Ike pressed his ear to the wall between him and the prisoner. He heard a gasp of shock, incomprehensible whispering, hurried footsteps… and silence. "Uh… guys?"

"What is it, Ike?" growled Marth, stressed by the low temperatures.

"I think Fox might have… escaped."

"WHAT?"

* * *

"Wha…?"

"I said you're going to hide out in the forest until it's time to break out."

Fox and Crazy Hand were standing infront of the wall that marked the start of the forest. The strong winds smelled of mint and felt of ice sliding across their skin. It was also very cold.

"Why? What are you planning?" the pilot inquired. "And why aren't you… crazy?"

"We can answer those questions when you're out of sight. Just get in that forest already!"

"St-st-st-stop right there, c-c-criminal scum!"

The fox and the maniac went wide-eyed in surprise, slowly looking behind then to see a frosty angel in trunks shivering so much he vibrated. His brandished fists were unthreatening since his predicament was mildly humourous.

"Yeah, this kid isn't a threat. You know what to do, Fox!"

Yes, he did. The vulpine spacer vaulted the chest-high wall and disappeared into the forest, the only place he could go. This left one giant hand and one angel whose head was too frozen to think straight.

"Y-y-you broke the r-r-r-rules, C-c-crazy Hand," Pit exclaimed. "I'm g-g-going to t-t-t-turn you in!"

"You're going to have to catch me first, chicken popsicle!"

Crazy veered off towards the trees, but rammed right into his mirror image, who had come out of nowhere.

"Oh, hey brother…" he laughed nervously. "I was just taking a stroll in the gardens-"

(I know what you were doing out here, sister.) Master Hand snapped. (You've sent another five patients to the real world, and released my prisoner in the process!)

"W-w-why are you s-speaking-"

"Silence, smasher!" the mansion caretaker ordered. (Karezi, you have proven tonight that your intents are malicious and destructive. You have given me no choice but to stop you. I'll be sending the police by to raid your apartment and confiscate whatever you're using to infiltrate this simulation.)

(And what are you going to tell them, Masuto?) Crazy scoffed. (That I'm kidnapping Smash Brothers? Incase you haven't realised, this whole setup is classified.)

(Fine. You've escaped your comeuppance for now. But those smashers you sent to the void aren't going to see what lies below it. I'm going to ensure that.)

"Watashi wa anata o sa semasen!" the crazy Hand yelled, crashing through the thick forest.

"Anata wa, kaiwa no tochū de watashi kara hanarete aruite inai!" Master Hand replied, following his twin through the hole it made.

Pit was frozen in place, figuratively, confused by the barrage of Japanese that just assaulted him. "W-w-w-wait up, guys!" The winged warrior followed the giant floating hands into the trees, moving like he'd been hit by a Paralyze Attack.

* * *

"Everyone, jump now! We don't have time to sit around! The Master's coming!"

Young Popo was sandwiched between two oaks and something big was coming his way fast. Popo had to dodge, but the only way out was backwards and down into the void. So he leapt into the light in the least painful way possible just before Crazy connected with the wood.

"What the hell was that for?" Ness gasped, while Nana, Lucas and Lucario silently asked the same question.

Shaking splinters off of himself, Crazy declared "Master Hand knows you're escaping! You don't have a choice. Leap now!"

"But-"

"NOW!"

A faint rumbling sound could be heard from deep within the forest, and it was slowly getting louder. It was clear to the four escapees that Master Hand was approaching fast. The children and the Aura Pokémon walked to the very edge of the forest where the void began.

Lucario allowed his mind to clear so worry would not halt his departure. Breathing deeply, he unbalanced himself and fell gracefully into the void. The children, on the other hand, were not as calm and collected as their elder. Looking down into the void scared them, and they could not bring themselves to leave.

"We don't have time for hesitation!" Crazy yelped. With one swift motion, the unhinged hand knocked his friends into the void. Their panicked shrieks seemed to linger for hours in the appendage's mind; he was ashamed to have betrayed their trust but he knew that he had no other course of action.

_(I'm so sorry, guys. I'll make it up to you somehow.)_

(KAREZI!)

Master Hand had taken his twin completely by surprise, but Crazy had the upper, well, hand. (Sorry, brother. You're a little too late!)

(Do you think I'm just going to let those five go unpunished for their actions? No, they'll be back. And when they do, I'm going to set an example. They're going to be severely punished for their actions, so severely that they'll wish that they were in lockdown.)

(Why are you lying to the smashers like this? They deserve to know the truth at least!)

(Oh, Karezi, you young fool.) Master Hand sighed. (This simulation has the power to create anything anyone could imagine and allow the smashers to experience it as if were real. If we just said that to the smashers' faces, what do you think they would do?)

"I'm… huff… going to… huff… get you!" Pit's shivers were replaced by breathless heaves as he struggled to reach the fugitive Hand.

"O RLY?" The giant left hand floated over the forest and came back down on the other side of the trees. "Then come and get me, angel face!"

"Crazy, what are you-" Master Hand began, before realising just what his twin was doing. "Wait! Pit, stand down!"

Alas, the servant of the goddess of light fell for the bait. By the time he reacted to his Master's order, he was already a meter into the void. Pit could have recovered any other day, but his wings were frozen solid. All he could do was fall. And scream. Loudly.

(I think my work here is done, Masuto,) Crazy smirked, following the centurion commander to reality.

Master Hand was alone, but not afraid. Even after all the effort that his twin… his sister had went through, she was still no closer to her goal. Sixteen smashers had left the mansion. Sixteen smashers could do nothing but return. They might know about reality, but what could they do about it?

Suddenly, an external force ripped his consciousness from his body.

* * *

(Masuto-san, what have you done?)

(Ugh... force quitting really hurts my head.)

(Did you not hear me, Masuto-san? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?)

(I apologise for allowing those six smashers to awaken, Tabu-san. I tried my best, but it appears that I have been outsmarted.)

(If that was all that had happened, a force quit would not have been necessary!)

(Aren't they just going to fall to sleep and awaken in their beds, Tabu-san?)

(Not all of them, Masuto-san.)

(What do you mean by-)

(Patient Pitto is missing!)**  
**


	10. Wounds

_…hear me? I repeat: this is Lady Palutena, contacting Pit._

One second ago he was almost frostbitten, but now he was so warm and cosy in… whatever this slimy stuff was. And now his goddess was calling his name with her soothing, lovable voice for the first time in five years!

"Lady Palutena… is that you?" Pit moaned, slightly muffled by the oxygen mask.

_Pit! You're awake! Thank goodness! Okay, I'm going to get you out of there._

"What?" Pit's head was scrambled by confusion. Nothing that was going on made sense. What took his goddess so long to make contact? What was he in? And most importantly: "What are you talking about?"

_I can't extract you because you're indoors, but if I get you outside there's going to be a clear path between you and Skyworld._

"Where am I? What's happening?"

_Brace yourself, Pit. You'll be crashing through a few doors on your way out_. The goddess didn't have time to answer all of her servant's questions, but why?

"Will you please tell me what's going on?"

_Enabling the power of flight!_

The angel's wings glowed with heavenly light and stretched out as far as they could go, tugging on embedded wires in an attempt to break free. It was a numb, stretching pain at first, but Pit knew it was about to get much worse.

"Oh no…"

* * *

It was breakfast time at the mansion. Normally Olimar would take his meal to his room, but for some reason he just didn't care to eat. He had elected to socialize with the oxygen-breathers instead of nourishing himself. He wasn't in the mood for starting a conversation, but surely someone would pay attention to him?

"You okay, little guy?" Wolf, of all people, decided to see how Olimar was going.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be out starting World War 3 over that hot tub?"

"Oh, you haven't heard?" The renegade sat beside his fellow astronaut at the table. "There's been… a lot going on. Normally I wouldn't be talking to someone like you, no offence, but you need to know. Where do I start… Master Hand has locked us inside the mansion."

"Really?" Olimar asked. He was surprised to hear of Master Hand taking such actions considering how hands-off he had been for the past week. "How do you know this?"

"Well, my gang and Pit's gang _were _actually going to fight for that spa-"

"And the back door didn't budge?"

"Yeah…" the wolf admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "Then we noticed Pit wasn't with them, which was kind of odd considering how he was the one who started the whole feud in the first place. Apparently, he had gone to find Fox after he escaped last night."

"Wait, Fox escaped last night? Slow down with the information. I'm not as clued in as you are."

"Did you sleep through the giant explosion or something? You must have. Anyways, Pit went after Fox and neither of them have come back for breakfast." The wolf sat in silence, waiting for the astronaut to react to the news, but the reaction never came. "Aren't you… you know… upset about Fox?"

"Not really. Fox said this place was a simulation; maybe they found a way to get out permanently."

"That kind of seems unlikely…"

"It's better than thinking they're dead, right?"

"You keep thinking that, imp," Wolf scoffed, getting out of his seat. "I have a breakfast to eat."

Once again, Olimar was left alone at an empty table with only his thoughts: where could Pit and Fox be? If they fell off the void, why didn't they come back? If they didn't fall off, where exactly were they? Were they okay?

* * *

In Pit's case, the answer was an absolute no. He was currently being hurled through this seemingly endless corridor as his goddess struggled to find the path of least resistance between inside and outside. The wounds left by the wires that were once directly attached to him didn't help matters either.

"Get me out of here!" he screamed, his body wracked with pain while his wings did the hard work.

_I'm trying to, Pit,_ Palutena replied,_ but the whole place is completely sealed shut! Maybe we could wait beside an elevator or-_

"Just throw me through a window or something!" the angel whimpered as his blood flowed out of the many holes in his flesh.

_Are you sure? That would be really painful!_

"I'm already in pain! Very intense pain at that!" Pit yelped, as he dodged yet another security officer.

_Alright, then. But we'll have to go fast; these windows are really strong and you'd just bounce off of them at the speed you're going. I'll have to put all my power into the boost, though, so if this doesn't work you're stuck there._

"There's no other way! I don't think I can hold out much longer!" It was true, Pit was starting to feel extremely cold and breathing was getting harder.

_Understood, Pit. Building up power._

The angel could immediately feel the power build up; a force was accumulating inside his wings that made them shake and glow. Soon, all that potential energy would burst out and propel him at the speed of sound. But until then, Pit had to survive. He was going around in circles within the corridor.

Survival was more a matter of endurance, as there wasn't much in the corridor for Pit to run into. It was actually a simple affair: dodge the guard, dodge the watercooler, dodge the intern, dodge the pot plant, repeat. It would have been easy if he was at his best, but he was bleeding his entire body out and it was hard to take his mind off the pain.

When the energy in Pit's wings was almost at maximum capacity, his vision started blurring and his limbs went numb. "I can't do it, Lady Palutena… I think I'm nearly gone."

_Just hang on for another minute, Pit! The boost is ready!_

The angel came to a halt that knocked the wind out of him like he had ran into a wall. The godly force that had kept him airborne pointed him towards the outside. He could see the sky, his true home, but his eyes started weighing heavy and he lost almost all feeling in his body. The only warmth he received was from the vast energy his wings were about to release.

"Lady Palutena… If I don't make it…"

_FLY!_

Before Pit could react, he slammed through the thick glass and into the fresh air outside. Looking down, he could see that he was very high above the ground. With the power of flight completely depleted, his horizontal trajectory slowly curved downwards. He tried to smile, but he was having trouble holding on to life. When his body was engulfed by a warm light from his goddess, it was then that he finally closed his eyes and relaxed…


	11. Safety

"Aw, no! I died!"

So cried Red when he lost once again to Captain Falcon, who had secured the game-winning kill with a pistol headshot at point blank range. He couldn't believe his opponent didn't get him first.

They were, of course, playing Call of Duty. Badly, in Red's case. "I'm horrible at this," he moaned, leaning back against the sofa and bringing his palms to his face. "How did you do that?"

"You gotta be fast, kid," the Captain said. "Get your foe before he gets you. That bit of advice will get you through everything."

"You would say that," the Pokémon trainer groaned as the living room door opened. "Okay, fifth time's a charm. Let's have another game."

"Can I watch?" asked the smasher that had entered the room. When the gamers looked his way, Olimar just smiled and gave a little wave.

There was plenty of space in the middle of the couch. "Yeah, sure," Red said, shrugging.

The astronaut took his seat as the match began. The trainer smirked, picked up his controller and gripped it tightly. Falcon simply shook his head and smiled, looking forward to being faster than Red.

The two players had spawned on opposite sides of the map. While they walked towards each other, the spectator decided to spark a conversation. "So… we're all locked inside the mansion."

"That we are, Olimar," Captain Falcon stated, not taking his eyes off his half of the screen.

"And this doesn't bother you at all?"

"Why should it?" Red scoffed. "We've got games, food… I never really used the pool or the spARGH!"

While Red was distracted by small talk, his foe had sniped him like a sitting duck. "That doesn't count!" he yelped.

"Do you know how to use cover, Red?" the larger Captain said amusingly. "I can teach you once this match is over."

"Shut up and let me pwn you!"

Olimar sighed as the trainer respawned. The gamers didn't seem to care about their predicament. He was almost envious of them, since they didn't have the weight of reality on their minds. But surely they had to care about something? "You don't even want to know why we're locked in?"

"I can't think about things like that right now," Red yelled. "I'm a bit busy searching for weaknesses in this guy's strategy!"

"I already told you: I'm fast. You're slow." Captain Falcon's game character pulled out his knife.

"Oh no, you didn't!" The current loser of the match knew the sheer power of the Call of Duty knife.

"Well," Olimar stuttered, "what about Pit? He's gone missing."

"We know," Red groaned, trying not to be distracted.

The astronaut sighed in frustration. How could his friends not care about their fellow smasher?

"I wish we could say we miss Pit," Captain Falcon said, as if he read the little man's mind, "but there are thirty-five of us here. We just didn't get to know him that well."

"Plus, his games are awful," the Pokémon trainer said. "His first one was stupidly hard, and his latest gave me cramps after a minute or two." Miraculously, he managed to avoid dying while he said that. But then he got knifed in the back. "Hey!" he spat at his adversary. "You can't kill me when I'm talking! That kill doesn't count!"

"Stop talking, then. Maybe you'll get to see me when I shoot you next time."

"But Pit is a living being!" Olimar said. "He has feelings! You have to feel at least some sympathy for him."

This time, the gamers didn't say a thing. They just kept shooting each other, almost oblivious to their spectator's presence. "But… he… you…" The little astronaut could only stammer as he was shown the total apathy these smashers had for the events around them. Maybe it was just because they were gaming, but either way it was heartbreaking. And infuriating.

"YES!" Red cheered, as an assault rifle knocked his foe to the ground for the first time in the match. "I did it! I finally did it!"

"Good for you," Olimar growled. Yes, growled. The Pokémon trainer was quite surprised. "Meanwhile, someone who has lived under the same roof as us for five years is who knows where and most likely suffering in some way while you play videogames and forget everyone you ever loved!"

That shout made Red's jaw drop; he flinched and his attention was wrenched away from his game as he watched his verbal assailant storm out of the living room. Captain Falcon was also rather surprised by the outburst, but shook himself back to a fogless mind quickly. Meanwhile, his opponent was still staring at the door in shock.

The Captain smirked, and he felt his controller's right trigger. He knew what to do.

"Boom. Headshot."

* * *

"Ugh… my head hurts…"

Pit's vision was blurry and he had a feeling that something was trying to break out of his skull. But nothing else hurt at all. Wasn't he bleeding to death just a while ago? How long was he out of it?

From what he could see, he was in a very bright, very blue, very warm and outstandingly wet room. He moved his arm a little, and he heard splashing noises. Droplets of warm water tickled his body and relaxed him. There was only one place he could be.

Still, the angel felt it necessary to double-check his surroundings. He blinked a few times and could just see the walls and ceiling through all the steam. A calm and cool blue hue making the walls glitter like crystals contrasted the warmth of the body of water he was lying in. In front of him was a magnificent statue of the goddess Palutena.

Speaking of the goddess…

_Welcome home, Pit._

She did not speak to him with fear or caution, but with kindness and calmness. Pit simply smiled back. After the ordeal he had just gone through, moving was the last thing on his mind.

_It's sure been a while since we last talked, hasn't it? You probably want to know why I haven't contacted you._

"Not really…" the angel whispered, just slightly louder than his slow breathing. "I'd much rather like to know what you had to get me out for."

_It's… hard to explain. You weren't really living in a mansion for the last five years. You were dreaming that you were, while your body was confined and unconscious._

"It was a dream? But… it felt so real!"

_It wasn't a dream, technically. You were actually in some kind of virtual reality. That's what the wires were for. They sent electrical pulses to your nervous system that your brain registered as real objects, sounds and scents. This affected your "dream" and kept things from not being correct in terms of senses._

"You, uh… you kind of lost me at 'electrical pulses." Pit scratched his befuddled head. "But the bit about virtual reality… Why did you need to get me out of there? I was fine."

_That's why they call it virtual reality: it's not real. You remember falling off a void, right? That's the edge of the render distance. The most powerful computer in all existence couldn't hope to simulate an entire planet. The supercomputer that powered your virtual reality is as large as a house and it takes eighty-five percent of its power to create the mansion and the ground it sits on. The other fifteen percent kept you and all the other smashers alive._

"What's a render distance?"

_Oh! Sorry, Pit. It's been so long since we last talked, I forgot your vocabulary was small._

_But as I was saying, it isn't good for someone to be trapped in a bubble for too long. You can't stay in the same place forever and not expect some kind of dent on your sanity, even if thirty-five people keep you company. The smashers need to see their friends face to face before they forget them, l__ike you, for instance. During your first couple of months at the mansion, you were panicking because I wasn't contacting you. But eventually you stopped thinking about me altogether._

"Yeah…" Pit nervously agreed. "I did." He awaited his goddess' next line, but it didn't come for a while. Even the ripples of water fell silent.

…_Aren't you going to ask me why I wasn't able to contact you?_

"Why?" The angel was just slightly shaken by Palutena's question. "You're here talking to me now; I'm not going to think about the bad times."

_I've missed you too, Pit. Now get some rest. Tomorrow we have a very important mission to begin, and you've been through a lot._

* * *

**Yep. We're getting into the swing of things now!**

**For those of you who are dedicated to Void enough to read it at this point in time, here's a little secret for you regarding my other two fics: They're going to intertwine! In fact, they intertwine so well that I'm going to merge Slightest Shift into Super Smash Shenanigans and recategorize it as a MLP-SSB crossover! Yep, I'm insane!**


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